I've used PPA a lot. Even when it stiffens up it is still quite playable and not an arm killer. It's certainly more arm friendly than Babolat Addiction (a stiff multi) and more arm friendly than any poly. If your arm starts hurting from your hybrid, I'm quite certain the culprit is the poly.

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Thanks Would you suggest a full bed or hybrid? But if the string moves to much then ill do hybrid, string movement drives me crazy!

Thanks Would you suggest a full bed or hybrid? But if the string moves to much then ill do hybrid, string movement drives me crazy!

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What Ramon said is correct. It stiffens up but not terribly so. This string is fairly rough and does not move very much. It really depends on what you want out of your string bed. If you want more spin and control, go with poly mains. If you want more power and feel, go full bed PPA.

What Ramon said is correct. It stiffens up but not terribly so. This string is fairly rough and does not move very much. It really depends on what you want out of your string bed. If you want more spin and control, go with poly mains. If you want more power and feel, go full bed PPA.

Mike, have you tried VS Touch (BT7) natural gut? The new coating is kinda ridiculous. It takes forever to start fraying. As a bonus the various textured polys I use in the cross don't seem to make deep notches.

Mike, have you tried VS Touch (BT7) natural gut? The new coating is kinda ridiculous. It takes forever to start fraying. As a bonus the various textured polys I use in the cross don't seem to make deep notches.

All these reviews are full bed including wilson natural gut. I've tried Explosiv as a cross. I don't buy 17g multis so NXT Tour 17 is out. Head FXP Power is sold at my local shop so there is a chance I'll try that some day. Gamma TNT2 was so bad for me I really don't want to try out any other variations of it. Nanosilver looks more like a mono string. I've not been very happy with the Gosen multi or OG Micro Sheep in the past.

Hi Mikeler! A good friend of mine that's older than me still plays with wood rackets. He is a flat ball hitter and has been out of tennis for six months because of shoulder surgery. I was going to give him as a present some gut but I just ordered a racket and my budget is tight. So, I was thinking of getting him Mantis Comfort Synthetic whigh is very soft but as you said low powered (specially if compared to gut). What do you think? I plan on buying through Tennis Warehosue this time so please please dont suggest Genesis Thunderblast. Will Mantis Comfort Synthetic full bed be a good idea? I think he wont break them that fast as he does not hit with spin. Anyhow, I want to give him a very soft string for his wood racket so his shoulder won''t bother him.

Hi Mikeler! A good friend of mine that's older than me still plays with wood rackets. He is a flat ball hitter and has been out of tennis for six months because of shoulder surgery. I was going to give him as a present some gut but I just ordered a racket and my budget is tight. So, I was thinking of getting him Mantis Comfort Synthetic whigh is very soft but as you said low powered (specially if compared to gut). What do you think? I plan on buying through Tennis Warehosue this time so please please dont suggest Genesis Thunderblast. Will Mantis Comfort Synthetic full bed be a good idea? I think he wont break them that fast as he does not hit with spin. Anyhow, I want to give him a very soft string for his wood racket so his shoulder won''t bother him.

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Having never used a wood racket, I have no idea how Mantis Comfort will play but the number one priority is arm health so you can't go wrong with that string. He may just have to play around with the tension to get the desired power level.

Thanks Would you suggest a full bed or hybrid? But if the string moves to much then ill do hybrid, string movement drives me crazy!

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Try them both. I use a full bed because my arm doesn't like poly. I've strung poly/multi hybrids for friends with it and gotten some good feedback. On my APDGT and Ki 5x the movement is minimal. Just make sure the crosses are the right tension. Some careless stringers don't get enough tension on the crosses because they rush through jobs.

PPA is durable for a multi, but I have broken it in under 4 hours twice due to a shank. If you don't shank it, it will last a long time.

Look at post #1 of this thread for rankings of all the multis I've used and links to all the reviews.

All these reviews are full bed including wilson natural gut. I've tried Explosiv as a cross. I don't buy 17g multis so NXT Tour 17 is out. Head FXP Power is sold at my local shop so there is a chance I'll try that some day. Gamma TNT2 was so bad for me I really don't want to try out any other variations of it. Nanosilver looks more like a mono string. I've not been very happy with the Gosen multi or OG Micro Sheep in the past.

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Would you consider the NXT tour 16? Did you like the esxplosiv as a cross? Again, would you consider reviewing it?

Try them both. I use a full bed because my arm doesn't like poly. I've strung poly/multi hybrids for friends with it and gotten some good feedback. On my APDGT and Ki 5x the movement is minimal. Just make sure the crosses are the right tension. Some careless stringers don't get enough tension on the crosses because they rush through jobs.

PPA is durable for a multi, but I have broken it in under 4 hours twice due to a shank. If you don't shank it, it will last a long time.

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I'd think the shank risk is a little less on the crosses. Most of my shanks have been up near the top of the hoop but I did catch a cross one time on a shank up there.

Would you consider the NXT tour 16? Did you like the esxplosiv as a cross? Again, would you consider reviewing it?

Thanks

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I may consider the NXT Tour 16 one day if I can get a deal on it. I'm not paying full retail. The setup with Explosiv in the crosses were not for me but that was probably due more to the poly mains I tried them with. I may try it out in the future. Here are the reviews with the Explosiv crosses:

I measured the Gamma Pro tension loss last night and it is at 12.5%. Pretty standard for a multifilament string. That will probably be the last reading I get on it, the crosses are looking pretty rough.

I measured the Gamma Pro tension loss last night and it is at 12.5%. Pretty standard for a multifilament string. That will probably be the last reading I get on it, the crosses are looking pretty rough.

Final tally on Gamma Pro is 8 sets of singles and 2 sets of doubles. Broke it at the end of the first set today. Had a chance to hit with Dynamite. Pretty good stuff, I just wish I had followed their tension recommendation to string even lower. I ignored it because I thought stringing at 45 or lower was just crazy. Oh well...

I forgot to mention that I tried out Volkl Power Fiber for 1 game. Dynamite and Power Fiber are the most firm multis I've used since I got the Exos. The Dynamite is VERY crisp for those who like that feeling. I'm impressed enough with Dynamite that I'll probably try MonoGut. Nice to see an American company putting out some good stuff.

I'll try and post a Gamma Pro review today or tomorrow. It will probably be just below Dunlop DNA on the list.

I made a last minute audible and strung up the **** multi instead of the planned Isospeed Control Classic. The **** is super slick and was easy to string. It was surprisingly crisp and powerful just bouncing balls off it. Spin did not seem like anything special with the old ball bounce test. It had one of the clearest RacquetTune signals I can remember.

Looking forward to your review on the **** multi. I think it's just too bad you and I never had a chance to try out LaserFibre Super Natural Pro Stock.

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I put the Ashaway back in the bag after a set of dubs and a set of singles. The stiffness was causing some minor aches in my wrist. I alternated between power fiber 2 and **** the next set of singles. The **** looks like DM, just a little darker in color. It plays like DM too. The Power Fiber 2 is easily the best of the Volkl line that I have tried.

I put the Ashaway back in the bag after a set of dubs and a set of singles. The stiffness was causing some minor aches in my wrist. I alternated between power fiber 2 and **** the next set of singles. The **** looks like DM, just a little darker in color. It plays like DM too. The Power Fiber 2 is easily the best of the Volkl line that I have tried.

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I was thinking you may like the Power Fiber 2 especially in that soft Prince frame. When I cut it out of my C10 Pro and strung up DM at the same tension (60 lbs) shots were flying on me. Right now I am really liking the RIP 17 strung up in one of my frames right now. Just dead enough to dampen out some of the C10's pop, easy on the arm, and good spin.

I was thinking you may like the Power Fiber 2 especially in that soft Prince frame. When I cut it out of my C10 Pro and strung up DM at the same tension (60 lbs) shots were flying on me. Right now I am really liking the RIP 17 strung up in one of my frames right now. Just dead enough to dampen out some of the C10's pop, easy on the arm, and good spin.

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The C10 did not seem to have much pop when I used ssgator80's racket. Interesting.

Serve/Return of Serve: First serve was good and second serve seemed to keep me at neutral.

Strokes: It was pretty good on both wings especially slices. My 2 hander did not seem to have many winners with it but not a bunch of errors either. Average spin for a multi.

Volleys: Pretty good, overheads had good pop.

Touch shots: Really good.

Softness: The string feels very soft to me, no arm issues

Tension: Seemed close to ideal.

Durability: I played 8 sets of singles with it and 2 sets of doubles. That is good durability in the Exo Tour. The strings were just starting to get notched about an hour before it broke. The crosses get beat up pretty good but they held up.

Movement: String movement was average for a multi meaning they move a decent amount.

Conclusion: At $20/pack, I'll only buy a string if it allows me to beat all of my opponent and have them begging for mercy. This string did not turn me into Superman. It's good but the price versus performance is not worth it for my wallet. Now if you can find a good deal on it or you know somebody on the boards who posts a lot on this thread with connections, then maybe it is a pretty good deal.

Serve/Return of Serve: First serve was good and second serve seemed to keep me at neutral.

Strokes: It was pretty good on both wings especially slices. My 2 hander did not seem to have many winners with it but not a bunch of errors either. Average spin for a multi.

Volleys: Pretty good, overheads had good pop.

Touch shots: Really good.

Softness: The string feels very soft to me, no arm issues

Tension: Seemed close to ideal.

Durability: I played 8 sets of singles with it and 2 sets of doubles. That is good durability in the Exo Tour. The strings were just starting to get notched about an hour before it broke. The crosses get beat up pretty good but they held up.

Movement: String movement was average for a multi meaning they move a decent amount.

Conclusion: At $20/pack, I'll only buy a string if it allows me to beat all of my opponent and have them begging for mercy. This string did not turn me into Superman. It's good but the price versus performance is not worth it for my wallet. Now if you can find a good deal on it or you know somebody on the boards who posts a lot on this thread with connections, then maybe it is a pretty good deal.

Mikeler ,looking forward to your playtest /review on x1 biphase ,just strung a
set of 17ga in my pb10mid with a very long 60 sec prestretch ,it took all the
elasticity out of the string ( it stretched out over 10-12 inches) and then laid
on the ground dead like . We will see if that cures the tension loss or kills the
great feel .

Mikeler ,looking forward to your playtest /review on x1 biphase ,just strung a
set of 17ga in my pb10mid with a very long 60 sec prestretch ,it took all the
elasticity out of the string ( it stretched out over 10-12 inches) and then laid
on the ground dead like . We will see if that cures the tension loss or kills the
great feel .

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Definitely report back. I know somebody else on here tried prestretching and said it still lost a lot of tension. What I'm really curious about is if the "launching" aspect of X1 is really due to tension loss or if there is something else going on with the string as it ages.

It seems like this has been a long history with Gamma. Their entire string line is a little higher priced than other company's comparable strings in each segment. Not saying its not worth it, the decision is all up to the user.

It seems like this has been a long history with Gamma. Their entire string line is a little higher priced than other company's comparable strings in each segment. Not saying its not worth it, the decision is all up to the user.

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It is but there are so many other great strings out there that people don't know about and that this forum helps educate them on.

It is but there are so many other great strings out there that people don't know about and that this forum helps educate them on.

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For me, Gamma Professional has always been a cut above all the other multis. Worth the retail price? Eh... that's hard to justify. But if just a straight string comparison where money is not part of the equation, I'm choosing GPro every time.

That said, there are some other really good multis in the $12 or $13 range. Live Wire Xp is actually one of them, as is Tier One Triumph.

For me, Gamma Professional has always been a cut above all the other multis. Worth the retail price? Eh... that's hard to justify. But if just a straight string comparison where money is not part of the equation, I'm choosing GPro every time.

That said, there are some other really good multis in the $12 or $13 range. Live Wire Xp is actually one of them, as is Tier One Triumph.

The "intro" price of their reel is tempting but if it's something that I don't like...well...

I noticed they have a reel and string set package available "*use the extra string set to test the string. If you are not completely satisfied with the tennis string, just return the unopened, unused REEL and receive a FULL REFUND!". That might just be the smart thing to do as one's own experience is the best way to go.

Yes, I can. To be honest (and I almost hate to say it), but if you are even the slightest bit budget conscious, then I think Live Wire XP is the way to go.

The two strings feel extremely similar and play so similarly that it's hard to justify GPro over LWXP for most people. I'm not saying there is no difference. There is, GPro is still the ultimate in feel in my opinion. There's just something about it that no other strings has. X-1 is "nice", NXT is "nice", all those top-tier multis are "nice" but for me, that's all they are. Nice.

They are soft and comfortable to be sure, but they feel spongy or springy or mushy or some combination of all 3 that I can't quite articulate.

GPro is AMAZINGLY soft, but doesn't give me that spongey or springy sensation, which is why I feel it's such a unique multi.

I'm also no stranger to natural gut (Pacific, Klip, Babolat -- I've tried them all). Natural gut is wonderful and there is nothing quite like it.

But when it comes to multis pretending to be natural gut, GPro is HANDS DOWN the closest one. It's the ONLY one that feels very similar to natural gut to me. All the other multis are just "nice" soft/comfy multis, but any experienced player would never be fooled into thinking it's natural gut, not even close.

Live Wire XP is just a "notch" below GPro on the playability scale. I'm going to say that if you aren't AT LEAST a solid 4.0, you might not even notice the difference between XP and GPro. Maybe you have to string XP a pound or two lower to get the same feel, but man, it's pretty darn close.

One thing I noticed is that GPro shows very little sign of wear before breaking. XP on the other hand, frays a lot, and it will play for quite a while in that frayed state. Some people say nut gut gets better as it frays. I don't know if that's the case with XP or not -- I didn't pay that much attention.

The take away is: if you are paying retail, I think XP is the better value. Sometimes you will find GPro on special if you buy in quantity. In that case, you can get the price of it down close to XP's price, in which case, I think GPro is still the slightly better string and definitely worth paying for.

If I am not mistaken, Live Wire XP is not available in reels. Don't confuse Live Wire XP with Live Wire Original. They are not the same, and XP is the far better string.

EDIT: Looks like there are some places that have it, but I'm not sure if they still make it in reels, so there might be a limited qty if reels available. I will look into this; I have a contact who will know for sure.

Yes, I can. To be honest (and I almost hate to say it), but if you are even the slightest bit budget conscious, then I think Live Wire XP is the way to go.

The two strings feel extremely similar and play so similarly that it's hard to justify GPro over LWXP for most people. I'm not saying there is no difference. There is, GPro is still the ultimate in feel in my opinion. There's just something about it that no other strings has. X-1 is "nice", NXT is "nice", all those top-tier multis are "nice" but for me, that's all they are. Nice.

They are soft and comfortable to be sure, but they feel spongy or springy or mushy or some combination of all 3 that I can't quite articulate.

GPro is AMAZINGLY soft, but doesn't give me that spongey or springy sensation, which is why I feel it's such a unique multi.

I'm also no stranger to natural gut (Pacific, Klip, Babolat -- I've tried them all). Natural gut is wonderful and there is nothing quite like it.

But when it comes to multis pretending to be natural gut, GPro is HANDS DOWN the closest one. It's the ONLY one that feels very similar to natural gut to me. All the other multis are just "nice" soft/comfy multis, but any experienced player would never be fooled into thinking it's natural gut, not even close.

Live Wire XP is just a "notch" below GPro on the playability scale. I'm going to say that if you aren't AT LEAST a solid 4.0, you might not even notice the difference between XP and GPro. Maybe you have to string XP a pound or two lower to get the same feel, but man, it's pretty darn close.

One thing I noticed is that GPro shows very little sign of wear before breaking. XP on the other hand, frays a lot, and it will play for quite a while in that frayed state. Some people say nut gut gets better as it frays. I don't know if that's the case with XP or not -- I didn't pay that much attention.

The take away is: if you are paying retail, I think XP is the better value. Sometimes you will find GPro on special if you buy in quantity. In that case, you can get the price of it down close to XP's price, in which case, I think GPro is still the slightly better string and definitely worth paying for.

Hope this helps.

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Excellent comparison. That LiveWire XP is in my local store so there is no way it can go untested.

So just a quick update for anyone who is interested. I had been trying GPro crossed with a cheapy string to see if I could get the same feel.

The combo I tried was GPro/Forten Sweet. Again, felt nice, but I only got 4 hours.

What's interesting though, is that tonight my GPro/Foren broke, so I grabbed the last racquet in my bag that didn't have broken strings, which happened to be one that I strung with full GPro at 60/58 (constant pull, 10% prestretch). I hadn't been using it as much, b/c it was too tight for me.

But MAN, I was almost lulled into thinking the GPro/Forten Sweet had as much feel as full GPro..... UNTIL I picked up the full GPro.

It's night and day. I'm reminded once again of why I love a full bed of GPro so much. The FEEL is just tremendous.

I will now be buying 50 packs of it. Yes, you read that right. 50 packs. That's how much I love it.

PS. I still had a half pack of GPro, so I decided to string it with Zo Power 18 mains and GPro 16 crosses at 50 (constant pull). I likely will not be hybriding GPro anymore after this, but I thought I'd give this one a go. Haven't tried it yet -- just strung it tonight. Will report back if it's any good (this is actually the first time I've ever used GPro as a cross, my general feeling being that it's such a great string that it's a waste to use it as a cross, but we'll see!)